Retailing 121: How to Use Point-of-Purchase Displays to Increase Sales

Increasing the value of transactions is one way to actually grow your specialty tennis retail business, and point-of-purchase displays can attract shoppers’ attention to merchandise. POP displays also serve as focal points for you and your sales associates to suggest add-on’s to an initial sale and to assist in up-selling from good to better, or better to best.

Every POP display in your store should have a specific purpose to improve the sales of the merchandise displayed and to support staff suggestions for add-on’s and up-selling. Planning and organization of your POP displays is therefore very important, and even more so if your store is small and every square inch of space is used.

First, organize around logical departments such as Men’s, Women’s, Youth and 10 & Under. Within departments, organize in categories, and consider organizing by “good,” “better,” “best.”

Features, and of course price, determine what merchandise fits into each category. If you have the space, you can further organize categories by brand and suggested or advertised prices in each level. If you don’t have the space, mix brands in Good, Better, Best. The key, though, is making it easy and simple to buy from you…and for your part-time and or full-time sales associates to sell for you, including suggesting logical up-selling.

Signs on POP Displays Sell!

Another way to grow your specialty retail business is to increase the number of transactions. Well-planned and organized displays, with good signage, enhance the retail shopping experience in your store and engage shoppers to buy more…and to come back more often and even visit your website more frequently.

Shoppers need to understand where they are and be comfortable with the journey through your store—even if you have a relatively small shop. Being able to navigate your departments and your good, better, best POP displays through effective signage is important to the total shopping experience, and you should use both navigational signs to direct shoppers and informational signs on displays and merchandise to educate and inform consumers about the step-up features and value of the merchandise they will find.

Research shows that the amount of time a shopper spends in a store actually shopping is perhaps the single most important factor in determining how much he or she will buy. Your point-of-purchase displays play a huge role in providing a pleasing and enjoyable experience and are all about keeping shoppers engaged and in your store as long as possible.

(Note: The “research” we refer to here is from Paco Underhill and his book “Why We Buy,” which we strongly recommend to every tennis retailer.)

The brands you stock and the manufacturer sales reps that call on you will have POP displays at no-charge or at special prices to help feature their merchandise in your store. You already know that your square footage is premium retail space, so only take and deploy POP from your brands if it (1) fits your overall store merchandising plan, and (2) will meet your objectives for growing your retail business.

Creating your own POP displays is a good way to keep the cost of displays affordable. Also, rotate your POP displays, so your customers and shoppers experience something new and different each time they visit. You may be able to find good, used store fixtures and displays including tables for clothing, mannequins, sign holders, decorations and even lighting at second-hand and used furniture stores, or online. When it is time to freshen up, sell your old displays and invest the money in fresh-used POP.

If your best customer visits your store every two weeks, you should try to change up your displays every two weeks. Research shows that after one or two visits, even your best customers won’t “see” your displays or the merchandise featured anymore. This is basic human hardwiring, and you can’t change it, but you can change your displays to present something new and interesting every time your best customers visit. And that will increase your store’s average transaction value and the number of transactions you have with your customers.